Heresy as half-truth

Heretics (HEHR-eh-tiks) are persons who reject or distort one or more basic teachings of their religion. The term is most often used of Christian groups, but the same element is found in other religions such as Judaism and Islam. For example, in both Islam and Judaism are groups that reject certain groups as being truly followers of the truth. From the church’s earliest days, various groups disagreed on at least a few basic teachings and regarded each other as the equivalent of heretics. For heresy, people have been reprimanded, excommunicated, and in some instances executed. Today, hardly any religious groups execute others considered heretics, and some seldom even speak of heresy or an equivalent.

Heresy was not considered dangerous because it taught complete falsehood, but because it taught half-truths, distorting the religion. For example, fourth and fifth century churches saw heretics as threats to truth itself. (Note that rejecting all a group’s beliefs is not heresy, but “apostasy” which causes expulsion from the group.)

A good example of heresy is “deism” (DEE-ism), a view arising in the 17th century and still is the position of many people today. In fact, several of the Founding Fathers of the United States were deists. Deism views the universe as operating according to fixed, natural laws, essentially like a machine. God, say deists, created universal laws in accord with God’s own rational nature, and God does not interfere with these laws. Consequently, planets and stars move in their fixed courses; people grow, develop and die; and nations rise and fall, all in accord with natural law.

In this the deists were not completely mistaken. Their error was their assumption that the relative order of the universe is an absolute order to which even God is bound. They overlooked the relative unpredictability of the universe and history, however; though some assumed that eventually we will understand. Its error lay in its unwillingness to live with mystery.

Words that we use to talk about God do not explain the mystery of God, but merely represent that mystery, enabling us to live with it.

Statements about God frequently are self-contradictory. For example, the Bible portrays both God and human beings as responsible for at least some events in history. Acknowledging these contradictions we affirm the interplay of God’s freedom and human freedom. At its best, orthodoxy holds such contradictions in creative tension. An unorthodox view, on the other hand, assumes human freedom is the ability of humans to deal with nature entirely alone. Thereby it loses a sense of mystery, distorting faith itself. In fact, to assume either God’s absence or God’s control alone, rejecting the possibility of the other, is heresy.

Dealing with deism is a delicate matter. Describing it says nothing about the moral character of deists. Some of my friends are deists and are perhaps more moral than I am. The question is the manner in which we relate to it. Certainly not by heated debate! To lose either point of view, however, is to either deny God’s freedom and assume too much for human beings or vice versa. In fact, unorthodox views and atheism itself can be helpful to faith when orthodoxy has become stern and unimaginative. For Christians, Muslims and Jews alike, one task is to preserve the integrity of human communities. But the outcome of that work always is in the hands of God.

Gene Davenport is former Professor Emeritus of Religion at Lambuth University. Readers can send e-mail to him at: genedavenport1@gmail.com